Lost or found?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The Great Adventure”

Our Bible verse for today: “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:39 NIV)

Our thought for today: “Lost or found?”

If you think you have found your life you will have lost it, but if you lose your life for the cause of Christ you will have found it. What could Jesus have meant by that? It must be an important concept because He said it twice, once in Matthew 10:39 and again in Matthew 16:25. If Jesus teaches something even once it’s obviously important and therefore, we should learn the lesson and obey it. But if He says it twice, that should certainly get our attention.

The passage in Matthew 16:25-26 gives us a little fuller context: “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Of what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”

There’s a double meaning to Jesus’ lesson here. First, foremost, and most importantly, this pertains to eternal life. If a person doesn’t have the assurance of eternal life in heaven it doesn’t matter how much he or she achieves and accumulates in this life, ultimately it will all have been a great loss.

But the lesson also pertains directly to how we invest our time, energy, and resources in this life. Ultimately, pursuing the things of this world simply for their own sake proves to be an empty and fruitless pursuit. “You can’t take it with you!” and “I’ve never seen a hearse towing a U-Haul!” are true observations and it’s what Jesus meant. Conversely, if you invest your life in pursuit of the kingdom of God, helping others to come to faith in Christ and to then live as His disciples, your life will have been invested in things that have eternal value. You will also experience a lot more joy and satisfaction in life now from doing those things than you will if you are simply building a big bank account, accumulating lots of expensive toys, and spending a lot of money on your own entertainment and pleasure. In the long run, those things don’t really satisfy.

The adventure of the Christian life is found in serving Jesus and serving others in His name. Going on mission trips, serving a meal at a homeless shelter, doing yardwork for an elderly shut-in, spending time with at-risk children, delivering a meal to a family who just lost a loved one and a thousand other acts of mercy and kindness, all done in the name of Jesus, that is the path to true fulfillment in life.

The best life you will ever have is the one lived in the center of God’s will honoring Him and blessing others. If you are living for yourself your life is lost. If you are living for Jesus and for others, your life has been found. It’s an important question of lost or found.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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